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It’s Sprinky, such a wonderful toy!

I have uploaded about a dozen new Jonas photographs. They are from the cousins in Washington State. They have been sitting in my e-mail for months now and I finally pulled them out, cataloged them, and posted them! I still have not named the rest of the European Trip photos.

I have to mention my new toy. Yesterday at Ace Hardware, my favorite place in Oklahoma City, I was looking at sprinklers. I was going to reseed some of the front and side lawns and knew I would need a good sprinkler. I don’t know what overcame me, I just had to!

All those lawns I sprayed, I saw this certain type of sprinkler. I always thought they were really cool and wanted one. Additionally, if I ever had a sprinkler catch my hose or have problems, it was typically this same sprinkler. It was a love/hate relationship. My Grandma had one until she got a sprinkler system. He is one of those fancy little sprinklers that look like a miniature tractor. Their front wheel goes over the hose and the hose is a track for the sprinkler to follow. Then the water going through the sprinkler turn the little transmission so that the wheels propel it forward and it also pulls its hose behind it. They have been around since the early 60’s and I think they are ingenious! With the new lawn, I would have to keep it moist for the seed to germinate and I didn’t want to keep moving the sprinkler. I broke down and purchased it.

Upon returning home, I announced my new purchase. As I was a bit sheepish about the whole thing Amanda asked how much he cost. She then emphasized the point we will have to go without food for an entire week to pay for my indulgence. In the process of our laughter, I slipped and called it a sprinky instead of a sprinkler. Well, that is his new name. Every time I see him wandering the yard doing his job, I laugh and think of his name. Yep, if only purchasing a car these days brought about the same passion. Sprinky might as well be my pet. Since he is a bit more expensive and novel, Ace warned me about this, he tends to walk off. Therefore, with great pride, at the end of his watering day, I unhook him and put him in the garage on the bench, right next to the pickup. I am retaining some of those itty bitty farming roots; parking my tractor in the shed at night! Perhaps one day I will even pull out some wax for him…

As I crawled out of the crawl space, I saw him sitting there waiting patiently. I had to turn him off to enter the crawl space. The song came for the Slinky commercials. “It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, it’s such a wonderful toy…” Well change the name to Sprinky and it works perfectly. Now as I wander my little piece of ground, I either sing the Slinky song or the portion of “Give Said the Little Stream” where it might apply to some small part, “I’m small I know but wherever I go, The grass grows greener still.” The first would be about him, the second would be his theme song. (I am laughing so hard I am crying! This is hilarious!)

On a more somber note, I have inspected the underbelly of my home. The ruling has been pronounced. The plumbing has to be replaced. One bathroom has to completely be avoided because any flow of water in the bathroom creates a flow under the home. Additionally, I have two floor joists that have twisted off their piers and a structural/foundation company has to come in and place a joist beside them to lift the home back up. Just happens to be, those two joists are beneath the other bathroom, utility closet, and hot water heater. All the plumbing there has to be moved to allow for the floor joists. Besides, what is present is a patchwork of 70 years of plumbing. I would do it myself but I have lead sewer pipes, copper running pipes, PVC for the main bathroom, and this hosing stuff for the utility closet. With such a mess and having to move it, might as well rip it out and start over. What is even worse, I have pipes still connected to other pipes that are so corroded they are sawed off, but still connected to water pressure! Did I mention our cold and hot water to the washer leaks so bad the pipe looks like a rust pillar?

The next pronouncement is more happy. The termite damage as a whole can be confined to two parallel boards in the subfloor of the home. My impression was I had whole floor joists that were missing from termites. Not true! I have termite damage in the subfloor, very little in the hard wood floors, and in the 2X4’s at the base of the NW and SE corners of the home. We will start a termite treatment and all should be well. While I do have sagging in the NW corner of the home it is not from termites. So when I have the floor joists fixed, they will also jack up the NW corner of the home and we will be good to go. The sagging that was experienced in the home is from poor construction, not termites. Initially there were 20 foot expanses of floor with only a 2X6. No wonder the rooms were all sagging! As part of the closing, those sagging floors were fixed. Why the twisted beams were not corrected, as per the contract, will be discussed with the owner of the company this coming Monday. I do have another company coming in to give us a bid for the remainder of the work, as well as plumbers for the plumbing. All in all, our little home’s underbelly should be good to go after about $5,000. That hurts, I don’t like it, but it has to be done.

The part that will hurt the worst is the home was redecorated with the sagging foundation and floors. Jacking up those two parts of the home will definitely show some cracking and need fixed, as will replacing our plumbing in the walls. Those expenses I can fix and pay for later. I am sure the tile floor in the bathroom will need serious fixing as well as the new shower and sink in that bathroom.

Anyhow, enough of our home woes. This home will be set for the millennium when I am done with it. Now, like waiting for water to boil, just waiting for that grass to grow with Sprinky’s tender care.

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One thought on “It’s Sprinky, such a wonderful toy!”

Hey I want pics of the new addition to the family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pets can be so fun! AND this one sounds like it does not eat much, easy to clean up after, loves unconditionally, and is very unselfish … just gives gives gives. I like this little feller already! You must introduce us!